It’s safe to say that Rain Technology may have been a few years ahead of its time during its exploration of augmented reality (AR). A decade or so ago, the company was heavily entrenched in developing glasses-free 3D technology but de-emphasized the initiative when customers came to them biting their hand off for privacy screen tech. Still, the time and resources spent weren’t at all wasted. The company put 3D on the back burner and watched and waited for the next market opportunity to emerge. That day, according to Rain Technology CEO Dr. Robert Ramsey is now; and the market; augmented reality.
According to a report by Artillery Intelligence, the U.S. revenue for headword consumer and enterprise AR glasses is expected to reach $35,058 million, up from $6,765 million in 2023. Several vertical markets are driving the increasing adoption, including automotive, healthcare, education, construction and logistics.
Ramsey says Rain’s rich history with 3D has provided the company a solid foundation on which to base the design and engineering of its AR-focused optical technology. “3D is a technology that is a key enabler for near eye imagery, or AR. The heat in the market has led to several tech developers quickly entering the field with solutions that are performance compromised. Consequently, AR technology has yet to hit one out of the park.”
Ramsey attributes the lukewarm adoption of AR to imaging problems, including poor field-of-view and lack of image sharpness. He explains, “With today’s AR technology a manufacturer of smart glasses used for wayfinding applications, for example, might be able to use only single-color arrows to point out directions and destinations that are not registered/aligned with objects in the real world. Rain’s new AR IP addresses this and other issues via a unique imaging and optical extraction technology—all aimed at delivering a more realistic, engaging AR experience.
It’s only natural that as the AR market evolves, so too will the expectations of manufacturers and end-users. Greater realism, improved optics, and advanced functionality are all part AR’s technological progression. Rain seems to have planned its ”push” into the AR industry perfectly to align with these next-generation requirements. Rain’s uniquely designed and engineered technology package is complete, a working demonstration model has been developed, and the IP is available to license to OEMs. “We saw things in a completely different way to other players and spent two years teaming our facilities in Boulder, Colorado and Oxford, U.K, to develop a novel approach to make AR dramatically better,” Ramsey says. “Our technology is ready, our demonstrator is solid. It’s time to introduce our IP to interested parties.” Rain’s working demonstrator is a monocular design compatible with plans to expand development including binocular smart glasses and headsets.
Just as Rain has done with licensees of its widely shipped e-privacy technology, they will offer to lead OEM integration of its AR solution from concept through full product development, including manufacturing and supply chain management, and ongoing tech support. By supporting its OEM partners every step of the way in its AR initiatives, Rain helps drive hardware products to mass markets quickly and efficiently while de-risking the transfer of concept to product.
For more information about Rain’s revolutionary AR solution and how to partner with the company, please contact (www.raintechnology.com or sales@raintechnology.com).
